COMM 495 CALENDAR

Use the COMM 495 Seminar drop-down menu for class links.The current class is Fall 2014 OL1 August to OctoberThe next class is Spring 2015 OL4 March to May

WARNING for mobile users: This calendar does not display correctly on smart phones. See the Quick List of assignments for mobile users on the course schedule page.WARNING: The calendar does not display correctly in the Firefox browser. If you see unusual symbols, switch to another browser (Internet Explorer or Chrome).

COURSE CALENDAR

Synchronize your personal calendar with the course schedule and this calendar. You are responsible for this information, and you should not depend on others to remind you of deadlines. Take time prior to the first day of class to fill out your personal calendar with this information. Update your weekly schedule every weekend for the coming week.

Note. If you want the spreadsheet version of this calendar, feel free to request it. In spreadsheet format, this calendar is easily modified to cover multiple courses.

~Standard Deadlines~Day 4, Thursdays, deadlines for completing conference topics. Day 6, Saturdays, deadline for assignments due in your Assignment Folder. Remember to include a transmittal memo! Day 7, Sundays, deadline for completing discussion responses to other students~Important Dates~Preview Week: One week prior to the first day of class. This week is important to you because you can determine if you need to change your schedule while you still have time to enroll in a different class. This week also allows you to purchase any needed textbooks, to test your computer settings with UMUC's courseware, and to update your biography. You may also need to work on the terminology for research methods if you have not completed COMM 480 by the start of this class. Course Start Date: You should always check into your classrooms on the first day of class, make sure your courseware settings are appropriate, and post an introduction. Withdrawal Deadline: The first day of the fifth week of class. During Week 4, you should check your grades and consult with your instructor if you have any questions about your ability to complete the class with an acceptable grade. Last Class Date: All coursework must be completed and submitted prior to the last class day. If that is impossible, you should be communicating with your instructor and be fully up-to-date about UMUC's Grade of Incomplete policies (Click here for link to Policy 170.71 ). ~Faculty Rules for Submitting Assignments!~

1. Use the correct naming protocolfor saving your assignments: Last name (using normal and correct punctuation), underscore, and the appropriate assignment number and name. This information is provided in your assignment instructions, so be watching for it. . Examples: Rodgers_Portfolio.PDF (one file contains portfolio, essay, and resume) Rodgers_Portfolio.PDF, Rodgers_Essay.PDF, and Rodgers_Resume.PDF (if the files are submitted as separate files.) Rodgers_Task1.PDF Merriweather_Task2.PDF Fitzgerald_Task3.PDF Murphy_Task4.PDF Jones_Task 5For_Rodgers.PDF (Task 5 is the first peer review) Jones_Task6For_Smith.PDF (Task 6 is the second peer review) Hershey_Task 7.PDF (contains link to online presentation) Scott_Task7_FinalOption6_TrainingProposal.PDF and Scott_Task7_FinalOption6_LessonPlan.ppt This file naming protocol applies to word programs, spreadsheet programs, and presentation programs. Call Ida if you cannot figure it out on your own.

2. Use the correct file format when saving your assignments. Word documents should be exported as PDF files. If that is not an option for you, use SAVE AS to save files in the old Microsoft Office Word 2003 format with a .doc or .rtf extension. (WARNING: Do NOT type in the extension! ) Your program will apply the extension automatically. If you cannot see your file extensions on your computer when looking at your files, you must change your computer's settings to show file extensions where it lists your files. If you have never dealt with file extensions or selecting a file format, use your favorite search engine to look up how to do it for your programs. This applies to word programs, spreadsheet programs, and presentation programs. If your file's extension ends in x, you did NOT save the file correctly. Make sure to master this before the end of Week 1. Call Ida if you cannot figure it out on your own. After the first week, failure will cost 2, 5, and then 10 points. Note. Some students lose points they do not need to lose because they don't know what file format means, so they just ignore it. This is especially true of poorly organized students who frequently are struggling just to complete the assignment by the deadline. The best way to avoid this kind of trouble is to get it right in the first week and make a template that you can use for the entire semester.

3. Correct your file properties. File properties involve hidden file information. In OpenOffice files, just click on FILE, then select properties, and the pictured window (below) will open for you. If you use a different office program, search for instructions using your favorite search engine. If you have never even heard of file properties before, do NOT dismiss this as something you do not need to know. You do need to learn this or you will lose points starting in Week 2 (2, 5, and then 10 points). Changing the file properties so that every file is unique is a matter of applying the professional touch to your work. You are about to present yourself to the world as a professional communicator, so you should know everything about how to fully control all your tools including your files. Do not go past Week 1 without mastering file properties for your office programs. Call Ida if you cannot figure it out on your own.

OpenOffice Writer word program's file properties input box for the course schedule. File properties are hidden from view when the file is opened but can be checked by anyone who knows that file properties exist.

4. Write a transmittal memorandum to me (your instructor) using plain memo format. In your transmittal, explain what you
are submitting, any challenges you encountered and how you overcame them, any
deviations from the assignment instructions with your reasons, how long the assignment took you to complete, and anything
else of note that you wish to share. Before you post your assignments, you should stop your mad rush to complete the task, take some deep breaths, and think through what you are doing. Have a submission check list and use it. Before you consider yourself done with the task, reflect on it and where you may have departed from standard rules and policies. Did you interview your spouse? Well, technically that violates UMUC's Research Policy, so you need--at a minimum--an IRB form that I have signed before doing that research. If you are not including a signed IRB form with a submission about research involving humans, you must discuss the situation with me in the transmittal memo.

Download the Calendar FileUpdated for Fall 2014 Semester on August 13, 2014